Only Part of the Picture: The Twilight 25 Round 8
by evieeden
Summary: A series of flashfics written for the Twilight 25 Round 8.
1. Breakdown

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #3  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Bella/Paul  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 499**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Breakdown**

I was lucky for once.

Not lucky enough that my truck hadn't just stopped without warning in the middle of the road, but lucky that it had done so on a sunny summer's evening as opposed to a cold winter's night.

Of course, it wasn't lucky enough either that I had broken down on a busy road with lots of traffic, but I estimated that I was only two or three miles from La Push so walking to get help didn't seem so bad. I knew I was far enough across the treaty line as well that I would be fairly protected on my way into the town.

Naturally it wasn't long before that luck ran out, however, and I tripped over an invisible stone and fell forward, grazing my hands and bared knees on the gravel.

I cursed under my breath, grateful that there were no witnesses to my clumsiness. Sliding to one side, I sat in the middle of the road and studied my injuries. My hands weren't too bad, but the skin on my knees had been scraped back and was now bleeding.

Sighing, I flopped back so I was lying down, uncaring that a vehicle could speed through the forest at any moment and mow me down.

The sun blinded me for a moment and when my eyes adjusted to the bright light I noticed that I was no longer alone. Turning my head to the side I stared at the wolf sitting by the side of the road watching me.

It wasn't one I expected to see watching over me, or one of the wolves that didn't mind my presence on the Res, but the fact that he was sitting there keeping guard was comforting.

Without warning, he phased back and I quickly squeezed my eyes shut to avoid catching sight of more than I wanted to.

"Your knees are bleeding."

He was closer now, standing so his body cast a shadow over my face. I opened my eyes again.

"I fell over," I admitted.

"And then decided to just lie there in the middle of the road?" he questioned.

I shrugged. "My truck broke down back there," I waved my hand behind me, "so I was walking to Jake's. Hopefully he can fix it for me."

He nodded and then extended a hand. With a confused glance upwards, I accepted it, allowing him to tug me upright.

He let go of me as soon as I was steady on my feet and shot me a glance from beneath his eyelashes. It was so unfair that he had longer eyelashes than me and most girls I knew.

"Want me to walk with you?"

It was an entirely unexpected offer, but I recognised it for the peace offering it was.

"I'd like that." I smiled at him and he gave me a quick nod.

We walked in silence for a few minutes and then he finally spoke.

"So, has Jacob ever told you about imprinting?"


	2. Sneaking Around

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #23  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Quil, Jared, Leah  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 483**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Sneaking Around**

_Hey, hey!_

The chocolate brown wolf lumbered to his feet in excitement and nudged his companion's shoulder.

_Hey, Jared. Check that out._

Quil nudged his companion again, startling Jared awake.

_What!_ he scowled.

Quil practically danced around his pack mate on all four paws. _Guess who I just saw in Bella's room?_

_Shit! It's not the leech, is it?_

_No_, Quil announced. _Better than that. Look. Look!_

Both wolves craned their necks in the direction of the house just as the window creaked open and a slim figure swung out of the house.

_Is that...?_

Short hair blowing in the breeze and clad in one of her standard t-shirt dresses, Leah perched on the side of the building, talking to the girl inside. Seconds later Bella appeared and leaning forward, she and the female wolf exchanged a lingering kiss.

_Dude._

_Yeah._

_Dude!_

_I know._

Drawing back a little, Bella said something that made Leah throw back her head and laugh. With one last kiss that made both Quil and Jared squirm to be watching it, Leah swung like a gymnast and vaulted her body over the window and onto the roof of the garage.

Sniffing the air, Leah cocked her head to one side and then jumped off the building and ran into the forest towards Quil and Jared. She clearly didn't realise they were there until she was almost on top of them.

"Oh great." She immediately went on the defence, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at both of them. "This is just what I needed."

Seeing that she wasn't going to phase for them to talk to her, Jared changed back to human with Quil quickly following.

Leah's mouth thinned.

"So, you and Bella, huh?" Quil couldn't keep his mouth shut for very long. "That's hot."

Jared smacked him on the shoulder and Leah scowled.

"What?" the other wolf protested. "It's true."

"Shut up, you moron," Jared hissed.

"Are you gonna run along shooting your mouths off now? Tell the pack that I'm even more of a freak than they originally thought?"

The words were belligerent but both males detected the vulnerable hint in her tone. Leah's lower lip was wavering and they realised that she was more upset than they thought at them finding her secret out.

Quil and Jared exchanged a look and then shrugged.

"I can keep my thoughts to myself," Jared finally said.

"Me too...well, mostly."

She almost smiled at that, but covered it up with another scowl. "See that you do."

With one last warning glance, Leah ran off and the two male wolves were left looking at each other.

"Dude," Quil finally said. "Leah and Bella."

"You know what else though?" Jared asked his companion. Quil shrugged and shook his head. "Bella made Leah laugh. When's the last time you saw that?"

The younger wolf grinned. "A happy Leah. Who'd have thought?"


	3. Follow Me Down

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #7  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Bella/Sam  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 486**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Follow Me Down**

_Come follow me down through the woods one day where sleeping wolves lie._

The words popped into Bella's head as she followed the tall man in front of her.

Sam Uley.

She had been fascinated by him ever since he had found her in the woods that awful day when the Cullens abandoned her, and that interest had only continued to grow the more she got to know him.

He was the pack Alpha, he lived alone after the disastrous end to his relationship with Leah Clearwater and he smirked whenever he caught her studying at him.

She wasn't entirely sure what he thought of her in return.

Then she had run into him on the beach.

She was seconds away from face-planting when he caught her, one strong arm wrapped around her waist. Setting her back on her feet, he made sure she had caught her balance before releasing her. It wasn't until he removed his arm that she realised just how comfortable she had been with it pressed around her body.

"Careful now."

He began to walk away, leaving her feeling oddly neglected, but then stopped and turned.

"Are you here alone?"

She nodded. "Jake's on patrol today."

His mouth twitched at the mention of her friend. There was a long pause and then he cocked his head at her.

"Come."

It was an offer, but it sounded more like an Alpha command to Bella.

He walked off again and when she didn't immediately follow, he called back, laughter in his voice. "I won't bite, you know."

Her curiosity and the heat between them wouldn't let her resist.

She followed him through a faint trail in the trees until a partially hidden cottage appeared before them.

Sam didn't hesitate. Striding up to the house, he pushed the door open and then paused over the threshold. Bella realised with a start of surprise that he had led her all the way to his house, somewhere she had heard a lot about, but never seen before.

She made it to the bottom of the porch steps before her feet refused to go any further.

Sam raised a challenging eyebrow and she huffed and stomped up the steps, refusing to back down. A hand on her elbow stopped her before she could walk through the doorway.

"You come into my lair, little girl, and the big bad wolf won't let you out again."

It was a promise and a warning, and Bella suddenly realised what the stakes were in this game between them.

It turned out that Sam wasn't as immune to her presence as she had thought he was, and she now had a choice. Heat flashed through her body and sensing her reaction, he gave a wicked grin.

Keeping her eyes fixed on his, she raised her chin and sauntered forward, brushing past him as she crossed into the house.

The door shut behind her.


	4. Drowning

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #8  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Embry, Leah, Bella  
Rating: M  
Word Count: 495**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Drowning**

"What are you doing here?"

Leah turned around at the sound of his voice and glared at him. "Well hello to you too."

Embry scrunched up his face. "Sorry, that was rude."

"Yes, it was." She sighed and then gestured to the two bright pink drinks in front of her. "I'm drowning my sorrows."

"Alone?"

She grinned. "Nope, actually. For once I have a companion in my misery." She waved a hand behind her and Embry scanned the bar for a familiar face. Finally he noticed the tiny brunette hunched in a booth in a corner.

"You're here with Bella?" That was a surprise. He was under the impression that Leah hated Bella's guts.

"It turns out that we have more in common than I thought."

He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Bastard exes," Leah explained with a nasty grin. Grabbing one of the cocktails in front of her, she threw it back and then waved her hand at the waiting barman, who promptly began mixing another. "You want one?" she offered.

Embry wrinkled his nose and sniffed hesitantly at the remaining drink. It smelled kind of fruity with the bitter tinge of alcohol corrupting its scent. "What is it?"

"Strawberry daiquiris. Anything stronger makes Little Miss Priss over there gag."

He would've much preferred a beer, but he recognised the drink for the peace offering it was and so shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Leah held up an additional finger and within minutes there were three drinks lined up in front of them. She grabbed two of them and then nodded at the third.

"Well come on then."

She stomped off to the corner where Bella waited, leaving Embry trailing after her. He slid into the booth and smiled hesitantly at Bella who was staring at him blearily.

"Embry's joining us," Leah announced. "He's got crap going on too."

He thought about denying her statement, but then remembered that she had patrolled with him earlier and no doubt heard his thoughts on his latest fight with his mother. Crap was one way to describe it.

Bella gave him a weak smile and took a sip of her drink before burying her face back into her hands with a shudder.

"She dumped Sparklenuts this afternoon," Leah explained loudly. Embry wondered just how many drinks she'd had tonight already. "And since Sam's buying, I figured she should go all out to celebrate."

Embry was confused. "Sam's buying?" He looked around the room for his Alpha.

"Sure. He's got a tab here so everything's on him tonight."

He wasn't entirely sure that Sam would be happy by his ex-fiancée running up a huge bill in his name, but he wasn't about to argue with Leah as she downed her own drink and then reached for the rest of Bella's.

"To the future," she toasted, cackling bitterly as she did.

"The future," Bella whispered into her hands.

"To the future," Embry echoed.

Yeah, the future. With more of the same.

Great.


	5. Goodbyes

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #19  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Alice, Seth  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 500**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Goodbyes**

She searched the cemetery quickly. She wasn't worried that anyone would see her out here on this snowy night, but she wasn't sure of the current state of the treaty and didn't want to be caught unawares by any of the non-humans in the area.

Her luck didn't hold out, however, and the blind spots in her vision let her down again.

"She's not here."

Hissing, she spun around, sinking into a defensive position. The man who had spoken was familiar though, albeit older, and she had always found him trustworthy in the past, so she straightened up again.

"Seth Clearwater."

He grinned at her. "Alice Cullen."

She ran her eyes over him. "You look older... healthy," she amended when he laughed.

"We can't all live forever," he teased. "Some of us grow up after a while."

"True." She smiled back at him. "You don't seem to have grown as much as I would've expected though."

"It's a side effect," he explained. "We do age, just not as quickly as normal humans do. So you came back here to see her then?" he asked.

Her face fell as she remembered why exactly she was back in Forks again, long after they had left for the second time.

"Jasper has contacts who heard..." She couldn't even say it. "I just had to..." She stopped, swallowing back a mouthful of venom.

The smile was gone from Seth's face too, replaced with a look of sympathy.

"She was my best friend," she finished lamely.

Seth nodded in understanding.

"I get it. She's not buried here though. She's over in La Push. Charlie is too."

A wave of sadness washed over Alice at his confirmation of what she had already suspected, but she smiled hesitantly. "She stayed with Jacob then?"

"Yeah, although none of us can work out how she put up with his ass for so long," Seth confirmed. "He's still around, but not phasing anymore. He's got kids and grandkids now."

"And they're all well?"

The corner of Seth's mouth hitched up slightly. "They all cause chaos wherever they go, but they're good."

In a way she was thankful, glad that her friend had had the life she was meant to before they had interfered with it.

"I should go. I just wanted to see if I could see her one last time."

"I'm sorry," he offered. It was only a small offer of condolence, but it meant a lot to her.

"Thank you." She turned to leave and then spun back again. "Seth, did we make the right decision... in the end?"

He smiled again, but this time it was a sad smile. "She never forgot any of you, but she was happy. She lived a happy life."

"I'm glad. That's all we ever wanted for her."

"And she knew that," he reassured her.

"Thank you, Seth. For everything."

He nodded again, and then she was gone, disappearing as quickly and silently as she'd arrived.

And he returned to the living.


	6. Sore

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #17  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Jacob, Bella, the Pack  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 499**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Sore**

"Come on, Bella, it's not that bad."

Jake tried to pull a sad, puppy-eyes look to coax her back into the ring, but failed miserably due to the uncontrollable sniggering that overtook him.

At least he was trying to hide his laughter, the rest of the pack weren't even bothering to conceal their amusement at her clumsiness.

"No," Bella stated firmly again. "You said you would stop bugging me if I tried, and I tried, and I failed...a lot."

Trying to cover up his amusement by coughing loudly, Jake petitioned her again. "But Bells, you really weren't that bad."

That set off even more howls of laughter.

"Jake, I fell over...six times." She glared down at the heavy skates that adorned her feet. "I honestly don't think my ass can take any more bruising. So now I'm going to sit here safely on a firm surface with my soda and watch the rest of you guys."

"She's got a point, you know." Leah stepped in to defend her. "She falls over one more time and her daddy's gonna think you've been beating on his only daughter."

"No, he won't," Jacob argued. "Charlie loves me."

"You think he's going to love you when she can't walk up the stairs tomorrow?"

That set off another round of snickering and Bella blushed, ducking her head as her face turned bright red.

"Come on, you lot." Emily, always diplomatic, stepped in to help her. "Besides, there's only another twenty minutes before the track closes."

That made everyone move. This trip was supposed to be a moment of relaxation for the wolves before the endless cycle of patrols began once more, and no-one wanted to waste their time away from La Push.

That left just the two of them still left on the side.

Jake sighed and then sat down next to her. "I'm sorry, Bells. I wanted you to have fun." He wrapped an arm over her shoulders and she leaned into him.

"I did have fun," she reassured him. "Did you see that I almost got it the third time round until Quil and Embry accidentally rammed into me?"

"I saw." He sounded grim when he said it and Bella nudged him.

"Hey, don't be like that."

"If I could get my own back..."

"Why don't you then?" she interrupted him to suggest.

She certainly had no plans to stand up on these death traps again, but she wanted Jake to enjoy himself.

"You think I could?" Jake raised a questioning eyebrow and Bella shoved him back in the direction of his pack mates.

"Go," she gestured at his best friends, "defend my honour."

He searched her eyes for a second and then grinned. "Anything for my lady." Placing a quick kiss on her hand, he vaulted back onto the track and immediately tackled his friends, the three of them going down in a pile of shouts.

And Bella took advantage of his absence to run a hand over her sore behind.


	7. Music

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #4  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Leah, Sam  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 477**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Music**

He knew he'd find her near the band.

He had overheard her gossiping with her friends about her crush on some skinny singer when he was sixteen, and had then spent an agonising year trying to master the intricacies of guitar-playing on a battered old instrument just to impress her.

It had worked. When they were together, there was nothing she had loved more than to curl up at his side in front of a roaring bonfire while he strummed whatever came into his head. Those moments were some of the most peaceful he remembered.

Until they were no more.

But just because those days were over, didn't mean that he had forgotten how much they meant to her. He still knew her better than anyone else.

So when he got the phone call from Seth that he couldn't find his sister and that she had missed her patrol earlier, he knew where to look. Port Angeles held some of her favourite haunts, especially when it came to live music.

He arrived in the town too late for the actual show - the night was winding down, the bar staff cleaning up and the band packing their gear away - but she still stood in the middle of it all, half-empty beer bottle in hand, chatting away.

The band weren't listening to her ramblings though, not really. Nobody was listening.

His heart broke for her all over again and, for a split second, hate welled up in his throat for her cousin and the damage the pair of them had done to her.

"Leah."

She spun around unstably, nearly losing her balance, and he shot forward to wrap an arm around her waist for support.

"What are you doing here?" she spat at him.

Palming off the bottle to a nearby waitress, he began to tow her towards the exit of the bar. Halfway there, he gave up on making her walk and just swung her up into his arms. She looped her arms around his neck automatically.

"I'm here to take you home," he explained.

She frowned. When he glanced down at her he could see tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Why did it have to be you to come and get me?" she wailed. "Why is it always you?"

"I'm sorry," he apologised. He only ever seemed to apologise to her nowadays.

He unlocked the car and then somehow managed to get the door open one-handed to place her carefully in the passenger seat. She was crying in earnest now, silent, fat tears streaming down her face.

He reached out awkwardly, trying to brush them away. Leah jerked away at his touch.

"I hate you, Sam!" she stated vehemently.

He sighed sadly. "I know."

Shutting the car door, he pretended not to hear her next whispered remark.

"I love you, Sam."

_I know_.


	8. Anger Management

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #9  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Bella/Paul  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 438**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Anger Management**

Paul stormed out of the house before he lost his temper. Not that anyone would have been surprised if he had, but he had been trying lately to put a lid on his anger and while tossing one of his brothers around was appealing, it would get him nowhere in the long run.

He made it to the tree line and then collapsed against a convenient tree, crossing his legs and burying his face in his hands. He concentrated on his breathing – slow and deep – trying to calm himself down.

Everything melted away, the fresh air and the scents and noise of the forest soothing him. He closed his eyes and let his other senses take over, grounding him.

About five minutes after he had left, he heard the footsteps heading in his direction.

He knew she would come after him eventually. It wasn't in her nature to leave anyone alone when they were upset...not for long anyway. And they were friends now, of a sort.

"Hey," she greeted him quietly.

He didn't reply but then she wouldn't expect him to.

Instead, she just sat down silently next to him and waited patiently. Eventually he reached over and grabbed one of her hands out of her lap, holding it tightly between his.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked evenly.

He shook his head and opened his eyes, studying her expression. Granting him a small smile, she leant sideways and rested her head on his shoulder. He relaxed infinitesimally at her touch, grateful for the connection.

They sat there in peace together until the weak sunlight began to disappear behind the clouds and he felt goosebumps begin to rise on her arm.

Taking one last deep, calming breathe, he unfolded his legs and stood up. Keeping hold of her hand, he pulled her up after him. She fidgeted on her feet as he worked out what to do next.

"I need to go back in there, apologise," he finally decided.

"Okay," she agreed softly.

"Do you... will you wait for me?"

She smiled then and it transformed her face, lighting her up from within. "Of course."

Squeezing her hand, he grinned back at her and then walked towards the house. Stopping halfway, he suddenly turned and walked back to her.

She looked expectantly up at him, only to gasp as he swooped down and caught her lips in a kiss.

"Thank you, Bella," he said.

With a flash of a smile he was gone, jogging back to the house again.

And she was left to steady herself against the tree from the force of his embrace.


	9. Freedom

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #11  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Leah, Seth, Bella  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 389**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Freedom**

The wind blew through her hair as she hung her head out of the car window, the heat of the desert seeped through her skin and for the first time in a long time Leah felt free.

It was all an illusion, of course. She was here strictly in a babysitting capacity. Bella had finally caved to her mother's demands and agreed to visit her in Phoenix for a month. Jacob, though, had thrown a fit at the thought of his precious imprint being so far La Push unprotected and had immediately petitioned Leah to go with her 'as a friend' to make sure no-one took a bite out of her neck along the way.

Still, it was off the reservation, it was somewhere warm and it was far far away from the rest of the pack.

A snore interrupted her and she amended that last though – away from nearly all of the wolves.

She shot a glare at her brother as he snorted in his sleep again. He had reclined the front seat of the car back to stretch out his legs and was now practically spread out lengthways against the entire car.

Just as Jake hadn't wanted Bella to travel alone, Sam had put his foot down at having one of the wolves so far from home without back up. After much screaming and a fight that had destroyed Emily's precious kitchen cabinets, Leah had finally caved and agreed to let her brother accompany her.

As much as she hated people thinking that she couldn't take care of herself, and hated Sam for throwing orders about in the first place, she was glad Seth was being given a chance to get away from it all for a while. Her baby brother had seen and done so much so young. He needed this break from normal life almost as much as she did.

"We're nearly there," Bella announced quietly from the driver's seat.

Leah nodded, but didn't answer, even though the girl couldn't see her.

Leaning out the window, she took another deep, cleansing breath. The air hit the back of her throat, dry and bitter, so different from the heavy damp of Washington, and she savoured every mouthful.

Freedom.

Even if it was only for four weeks, it still meant a lot to her.

It meant everything.


	10. Scary Stories

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #20  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Bella, Seth  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 496**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Scary Stories**

Bella couldn't stop giggling. Sitting across from her under the same sheet, a torch beam lighting up his face, Seth scowled at her.

"I'm sorry," she apologised, trying to stifle her chuckles. "I'll be quiet."

"Hmph."

Seth tried to maintain his disgruntled expression, but he was so sweet that he could never stay very annoyed for long. Really, she knew that he wanted to be out there with his brothers hunting vampires on Halloween, but Sam had relegated him to protection duty so he was making the best of it by trying to scare her with scary stories.

Which was why they were currently sat underneath a sheet, with all the lights out and only one torch between them.

Of course, his plan would have worked better if she hadn't already had most of her blood drained out of her body by a hungry vampire and ran with the pack.

Which was why she couldn't help sniggering when Seth began trying to freak out her by telling a story about a werewolf.

"I'm sorry," she said again. She quickly composed herself.

Seth huffed, but then continued. He was a good storyteller, she had to admit. She could feel goosebumps begin to rise on her skin as his voice rose and fell.

A prickling began to creep up her spine as a creaking sound came from downstairs.

"...and then all he could hear was the thud thud thud of feet climbing the stairs..."

She could almost hear the footsteps...

In fact, she could hear the footsteps. She glanced towards the bedroom door, but the sheet blocked her view. Seth hadn't reacted like he had heard anything though, and with his extra senses, he would notice anything before her. He just carried on with the story, so she tried to shrug it off.

There was an ominous squeaking as a door nearby pushed open. Bella began to tense as the strange noises and the increasing pauses in Seth's story ramped up her nerves.

"...and then..." he paused dramatically.

Someone grabbed Bella from behind.

She screamed loudly, swearing and kicking out, and frantically tried to pull the sheet over her head.

She finally made it free only to be greeted with roars of laughter as Jake and Seth high-fived each other.

"Jake!" she screeched, slapping him on the shoulder. "I can't believe you did that." Her heart was pounding out of her chest.

He was still guffawing loudly and she turned to glare at Seth. "You knew he was there!" she accused.

"I did, I'm sorry," he apologised, looking not at all sorry. "But I couldn't help it. I heard him come in and you weren't scared at all before that point. It was just too good an opportunity."

Bella rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling.

"Just remember, payback's a bitch, boys."

Flipping the lights back on, she shook her head and left the two of them rolling on the floor.

Oh yes, she would have her revenge.


	11. Guilt

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #13  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Rachel, Billy, Jake  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 445**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Guilt**

It was all different now.

She had thought that she would be the good sister for once – visit her hometown, see her father again, perhaps give her little brother a break for a while. She had been confident that she was doing the right thing, facing up to her demons, and showing her family that, for once, she could be responsible.

So she had driven back from college, intending to spend the summer in La Push before returning to Seattle for her internship in the Fall.

Arriving back at the reservation had been painful. Seeing the family she had left behind even more so.

Her father had seemed the same at first, rolling around in his wheelchair, cracking bad jokes, fishing with Charlie Swan every weekend. There was a strange expression in his eyes, however, that hadn't been there before when he looked at her. There were no accusations, no recriminations, nothing.

But there was that look.

It made her squirm to think about it.

Her little brother was different too. He was, well, not so little anymore. Towering over everyone else, there was a hardness to his face now that only softened when he spoke to Charlie's daughter, Bella. He had taken one glance at her standing uncomfortably in the kitchen and then disappeared out of the house for a week.

She had been worried sick, but her father had been weirdly unconcerned about the whole episode. He hadn't needed her help at all either in Jake's absence. Each day there would be a range of people parading through their tiny, red house, from council members to Jake's friends, all of whom appeared to have experienced the same growth spurt as he had.

She felt confused, but most of all she felt utterly utterly lost.

Jake had eventually returned, girlfriend in tow, and while Bella Swan was perfectly friendly to her, it was more than clear that the other girl's priority was her brother.

And why shouldn't it be, she reminded herself, huddling further into the sweater she had worn to bed. She and Rebecca had abandoned their teenage brother to look after their disabled father all by himself. They had only thought of running, getting away from the reservation and the memory of their dead mother.

They only had themselves to blame for the changes that had occurred in the meantime.

So she sat here, in this cold musty room – because no-one had bothered to come in here since she and Rebecca had left – and she felt hot tears slide down her cheeks.

She had been running for far too long and now she was paying for it.

It was all too late.


	12. Instagram

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com**

**Prompt: #25  
Pen Name: evieeden  
Pairing/Character(s): Leah/Embry  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 447**

**Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts**

**Instagram**

Her phone beeped loudly in the quiet room and Sam glared at her from the top of the table. He had been midway through one of his epic speeches on protecting the tribe, but she wasn't going to apologise for the interruption.

Ignoring the dirty look, she opened the text she had just received and then smiled at the photo attached.

Embry's grinning face beamed up at her. Across his chest he held up a homemade cardboard sign, scribbled in black with his distinctive handwriting.

_Be Home Soon._

He was coming back.

She fidgeted all the way through the rest of the meeting, not taking in a word her Alpha said. From the knowing looks on the rest of her pack's face, they all knew who the message was from.

"So, I guess we're done for..."

Those were the magic words.

Standing up abruptly, she hurried out of the house, ignoring Sam's shouts of protest and started running back home. If he was coming back then she was going damn well sure going to ready and waiting for him. For all the care she usually paid to her appearance, she really didn't want to greet her lover with the scent of sweat and vampire smoke.

Her lover.

It still surprised her even now that it was Embry – _Embry!_ – of all people that had managed to break down her barriers, but although he was quiet, he was persistent when going after something he wanted, and he had apparently wanted her.

For her part, she had always liked him too. She might have acted like she hated them all, but they were her pack, her family, and she cared for them all deeply. It took a while though for her like to turn to love and even longer for her to risk putting her heart out there again.

But Embry had waited and he hadn't pushed, and now he was hers.

And he was on his way, she reminded herself, kicking her ass into gear.

She showered in record time and then carefully picked out her nicest dress that still fit. She heard his beaten up truck pull up just as she was slicking her kips with gloss and then sprinted downstairs. She threw open the front door...

And he was there.

Launching herself into his arms, she sunk into his embrace and buried her nose into his neck. Taking deep breaths, she inhaled his familiar scent and every part of her body relaxed.

Pulling back, she looked in his eyes, meeting his grin with one of her own.

"Hi," he greeted her.

She giggled and wrapped him back in her arms as she replied. "Hi, to you too."


End file.
